Case Study - Getting into Europe and wider: Sheffield’s projects, present and future. Lessons of value to all?

Dr Shaun TophamCo-ordinator of EU IST projects for Sheffield City Council.

What I want to cover

• The background to how we got involved in the first place.

• What we decided to specialise in.

• Our strategy based upon working with networks.

• And our current portfolio of projects.

• Some indication of what we plan to do next.

Policy context 2003 - 2006• eGovernment Communication + Council Conclusions 2003• Cobra recommendations, Sept 2004 (national initiatives)

• Procurement Directives, e-procurement Action Plan• Draft Services Directive• Paperless customs, etc• Electronic Signature Directive• Water Framework Directive• Measurement, eID & Authentication, legal issues Modinis studies• IST/eGovt, IDAbc, eTEN studies and projects• Lisbon revision March 2005• i2010 – the initiative to boost growth and employment with ICT• Towards Ministerial Conference - Ministerial Declaration Nov

2005• Ministerial Declaration from Riga on eInclusion.2006• Towards eGovernment 2006 - 2010

EU ICT programs for Modernisation and Innovation in Public Administrations

IST/eGovtR&D

eTENpilots,

validation, deployment

IDAImplementation

Ministers of Public Administrations, Internal, Economic Affairs, Finance

Ministers of Information Society, Telecoms, Research, Innovation

StructuralFunds

eGovernment policy, Ministerial Conferences, eGov subgroup of eEurope,Interoperability Frameworks, good practice exchange, studies on pan-European

services, eID, multi-platform, free/open source software, …

EU IST FP4

• Sheffield’s current public access and public participation policy evolved from an EU funded project in the Fourth Framework Programme.

• The results of the project Public DataWeb were deployed in Sheffield

Long standing partnerships.

• “From Policy to Practice” Group

Bremen, Prato, Tampere, Bologna, Torino…. All winners in 2001

eForum

Ministerial Declaration to share Best Practice at a EU level.

UK -eGISE Network

Engaging the Citizen

Kiosk

Kiosk

Kiosk

• Electronic Services for South Yorkshire (e@SY CONNECTS) is a public sector partnership organisation consisting of Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster local authorities, health authorities, emergency services, voluntary sector, Job Centre Plus, Yorkshire Forward and the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.

• The aim of the e@SY Connects programme is to ensure that innovative means of access to specific public information and services is made as easy as possible for all, but particularly for those in greatest need.

• The partnership and the systems it delivers are all about giving the citizens of South Yorkshire the information and access to interactive services as and when they need it, all in an intuitive manner.

• Partners sharing the workload, getting more for less with a build once use many approach.

• The two principal mediums or brands of the programme are e@SY Connects Online (Internet and touch screen kiosks) and e@SY Connects TV (Digital TV).

The specialisms emerging• Access for citizens without the ability or the means to use a home PC. (eInclusion)

• How to get them involved more? (eParticipation)

• How do we prove who these people are online, particularly from public access points? (eIdentity - particularly smartcards)

• How do we provide secure means of communication which they will trust? (secure messaging)

New R&DTowards Innovative Government

eParticipationeParticipation Tools for formulation and enactment of democratic decisions, Tools for formulation and enactment of democratic decisions,

scalable large scale dialogues, new forms of interactivity, Active scalable large scale dialogues, new forms of interactivity, Active Citizen,…Citizen,…

Intelligent, personalised eGovernment services for allIntelligent, personalised eGovernment services for allIntuitive interaction, inclusion, multi-channel service delivery Intuitive interaction, inclusion, multi-channel service delivery

platform, context-awareness, privacy protection & enhancement, platform, context-awareness, privacy protection & enhancement,

Adaptive and proactive eGovernmentAdaptive and proactive eGovernmentKnowledge-based government, process models, tools for administrative Knowledge-based government, process models, tools for administrative

management, technologies for transparency, diversity, multi-level management, technologies for transparency, diversity, multi-level governance,.. governance,..

Secure pan-European eGovernmentSecure pan-European eGovernmentVery large scale, heterogeneous, cross-border admin architectures/ Very large scale, heterogeneous, cross-border admin architectures/ processes/ information infrastructures; pan-European eGovernment processes/ information infrastructures; pan-European eGovernment

ID, policy-driven,…ID, policy-driven,…

+ International Cooperation

Research programmes Timeline

FP6

FP7

New Financial Perspectives

2003 2004 2005

2007 - 2010 ?

2006

WP03-04Call1

Call2 Call3Call4 Call5 Call6 (?)

WP05-06

AdoptionProposals on FP and SPs

Communication: "Preparing the future: reinforcing European research policy" (16/06/04)

WP + Calls

2007 – 2013 ?

Sheffield EU Projects

• Portfolio of projects in the field of Smartcards, Electronic Signatures and Secure messaging.

• Some R and D in the IST Programme, with most being aimed at rectifying the market failure in these already mature technologies.

• These are mainly funded by eTEN.• We also look to other programmes such as

eContent and Interreg IIIC.

IST Fifth Framework

•Proof of the concepts behind the European Smartcard Charter.

•Sheffield smartcard tested for interoperability with National cards from Italy, France, Israel etc.

•Software developed for all major card manufacturers to use.

•“Son of eEpoch” to follow.

•www.eEpoch.net

The eTEN Projects• SPES-

• W.SPES -

• CERTISERV

• FAST

• P*P*P

• CARMEN

• PHARMACLICK

• EU PAY

Covering areas which we are interested in pursuing regardless. Match Funding is referred to as “Investment”, which is planned for anyway.

Total value of these Projects exceeds €30 million

• Replicating the overall European eGovernment prize-winning application of 2003, developed by Bremen, in Sheffield and in Bologna.

• A Secure eMail archiving and timestamping service.

This Project continues the work started in the original SPES project-Setting Processes for Electronic Signatures in European Cities

It sought to develop and utilise electronic signatures in a wide range of applications in the partner cities of Prato, Bologna and Saarbrucken.

It also worked on creating interoperability betweent he different Certification Authorities involved.

New partners from other countries as well as Sunderland and Dundee were added.

P*P*P Provide eGovernment Good Practices Portability.

Sheffield to lead the two strands of gathering and disseminating Best Practice examples, in the areas in which it has the greatest interest - PKI/security/smartcards.

eForum is both a public and private sector organisation which distinguishes it from other networks.

Replicating an Italian NHS “unattended pharmacy” pilot in Sheffield.

Use of secure messaging and smartcards for authentication

Video links to pharmacist.

New E111 card implications

“Joining up the dots” by selecting sites for trials to maximise synergies or to create new partnerships. In this case with students and smartcard applications in education.

• Replicating the French Government’s Secure Messaging Service in Sheffield and and in the Region of Valencia.

• EU Best Practice award in 2005

• System developed by the French “Caisse des Depots et Consignments” and trialled in Versailles/Yvelines

• Large private/public sector partners in support including French Telecom, La Poste, to help with roll-out.

• New Secure Electronic Messaging Directive on the horizon?

• Looking at a variety of mechanisms for making payments to the council from a variety of sources and bringing them together in a seamless fashion.

• Payments from shops, adaptation of existing bar codes, working with Credit Unions etc.

• Italian, German and French partners.

CARMEN.Citizens Advanced relationship management

A Market Validation Project.

Designed to replicate some of the advances already made in the field of Customer Relationship Management in the private sector, adapting them to public sector needs.

Utilising open source technology developed by the Italian “LGA”.

FP6 Project

Led by Brunel University with technical partners from Norway including their National Computing Centre.

Working to provide a simplified internet access for elderly people -building upon work carried out in the DATES eInnovations Project by Sheffield and the Black Country.

Sheffield and Torino will provide the test facilities, working with local organisations such as Age Concern.

Intention to deliver something of real value to the residents of sheltered housing as well as research results.

Interreg IIIC Project which looks at how the Best Practice award winning ePatitioning system from the Scottish Assembly might be enhanced for other eGov purposes with strong authentications, and utilising more channels.

eEPOCH ONOMA TOPIC

The strategic objective is to provide a complete technical platform and a framework enabling the European Governments to issue interoperable documents (Citizen Card, Electronic Identity, Visas or Passport documents) for electronic identification or authentication and for access to e-Services.

The Onom@Topic+ consortium incorporates all key players from the European smart-card industry: smart-card manufacturers (Axalto, Gemplus, Oberthur CS), silicon founders, (STMicroelectronics, Philips Semiconductors), electronic design companies (ID3 semiconductors), biometrics specialists (Precise Biometrics), software and services companies (Esterel Technologies, OKsystem, CompuWorx), security laboratories (CEA-Leti). and Consumer Electronics laboratories (Innovation Lab of Philips CE).

The project will deliver both specifications, contributions to European and International standards, benchmark test tools, silicon ICs, SW reference platforms and dedicated prototypes.

Sheffield is collaborating with Onoma@Topic+ and will be a demonstration site.

Strategic Advantages of Participation.

1, Policy comes from Brussels.

Directive on Electronic Signatures, Directive on eProcurement -future eInclusion Directive.

2. Ability to integrate with UK initiatives.

3. Specialisation made possible.

Public Key Infrastructure, smartcard applications for security and eInclusion etc.

4, Overall cost reduction as initial deployments can be tested and different approaches compared before full deployment takes place.Shared risks and entry costs.

Importance of Networks• Large funds available for Projects.

• But…. As much as 50% of this goes to existing partnerships with experience of the programme and what it needs.

• And then a further 25% to those needed to bring special skills to join these networks.

• With the remaining 25% being fought over with a one in six/seven chance of success.

• So, if a smaller public authority is keen to get involved, it can be better to work alongside those already experienced and sharing your interests rather than risk a lot of wasted effort in submitting a proposal.

• For every co-ordinator of a project, there are many more “partners” who gain equally from the project submitted.

Why does a city participate?

• “Each project is required to include participation ofthe full range of users and other stakeholders and to explore further deployment beyond the project itself with a wider group of potential adopters.” - So we are actually useful!

• “to launch services in a real life environment.”

• "digital exclusion” and “Services exploiting trust and security” - Our interests co-incide with the aims of the programme.

Other ProgrammesJust as National Research should not stand in isolation from European Programmes, there are other European Funding streams which compliment IST and eTEN.

Sheffield has Interreg IIIC Projects running, involving their core partners such as Tampere and Bremen, in the areas of eParticipation, eCitizen and One Stop Shops. Good starting point.

eContent application on GIS submitted

European Centre for SmartMedia and eInclusion

European Centre for Smartcard Technology and eInclusion

Crucial Objectives in the South Yorkshire Objective 1 Programme can be helped by this initiative

Involves Industry and University.

Designed to capitalise on EU Projects and to disseminate and create new projects.

SmartCities (FP4), LASSEO, CEN ISSS

European Centre for SmartMedia and eInclusion

• Launched in the city by the UK Head of eGovernment in May 2005.

• Combines the needs of industry, academics and Government.

• Intention is to provide greater focus and resources for taking this area of EU funding more seriously.

Future Developments -Global interoperability of eID

EU-China IST Co-operation Project. Collaborating with the five model cities in China for show-casing eGovernment, including the cities specialising in smartcard schemes

Collaboration with Japanese city demonstrating Japanese National eID Card- the Residence Card, through NICCS and the Asian IC Card Forum.Collaboration with North American city as a first stage in creating a Group of cities capable of collaborating on wider interoperability trials.First meeting of this new group planned for Beijing in May 2007.

In Summary

• Keep an eye on European Policy so as to be “Europe-proof”.

• Specialise and build from recognisable strengths, such as roles in National Projects.

• Get involved regardless of the immediate financial gain.

• Stick with the partners which you get along with.

• Rely on others until enough experience gained.

• DTI IST Helpdesk

More…

eGovernment research website

europa.eu.int/egovernment_research

(or search for “egovernment”)

Contact

Setting Processes for Electronic SignatureSetting Processes for Electronic Signature

shaun.topham@ukonline.co.uk